The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Automotive powertrains generally employ a transmission and a differential mechanism. The differential mechanism is included to permit distribution of power from the transmission to the drive wheels of a vehicle or to the fore and aft drive differentials of a vehicle. The differential mechanism has an input gear member which rotates a housing or casing, a plurality of side gears, one of which is connected to drive a right axle and another of which is connected to drive a left axle.
The differential components for the most part rotate in unison with the rotation of the input gear. However, during some maneuvers, one axle may rotate more rapidly than the other. For example, if the vehicle is cornering, the outside wheel and axle and therefore the side gear of the differential rotate at a higher speed than the radially inner side gear of the differential. Also, when one axle is on a very slippery surface, such as snow or ice, that tire or wheel may rotate faster than the opposite tire or wheel that is on dry or good traction pavement. While the rotational difference during vehicle cornering is acceptable the rotation of one axle relative to the other resulting from slippage is not a desirable feature.
In prior differential designs there have been many mechanisms employed to assemble and improve the functionality of a differential. However, many of these attempts still require high assembly cost while adding little if any functionality. Accordingly, there is a constant need to improve the assembly, costs, and functionality of an automobile differential.